A Helping Hand
by Sayu-chan
Summary: Kaorin's unrequited love is obvious to everyone except Sakaki, who's somehow got it in her head that Kaorin doesn't like her. It's a total mess... until the new girl, Kimiko Abe, decides to take action. Rating for Shoujo ai. KaoxSak [Story Complete!]
1. The Girl From Utatsu

Despite my own hatred of fanfics involving OC's of just about any kind, I decided to write one. Maybe I'm bored. Maybe my subconscious mind wants to know why people write all this stuff. Maybe I've gone to the dark side. Who knows?

And YES, I know that I should be devoting my time to more of "Chiyo-chan O Sagashite" or finishing "For You". But I want to give this a shot.

I'm going to make a fic that is, to the best of my ability, NOT a self-insert. I'm not going to put in some character that sweeps- oh, say, Sakaki-san- off her feet and rides off into the sunset with her now that she's magically been cured of her shyness and cat's don't bite her anymore. Yeah, none of that here. --;;

Well, okay, enough of my ranting. Here goes.

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"Tama!"

"Yosuke!"

"No, _Tama_!"

"No, _Yosuke_!"

"Why not somethin' like Cornflakes, or Fluffy? Yeah, somethin' exotic like that."

"Quiet, Osaka!"

"I don't think she heard you, Tomo."

"Yeah... Cornflakes..."

This scintillating conversation greeted Yomi as she entered the classroom.

"What are you two idiots arguing about?" She addressed Tomo and Kagura, the source of the noise.

"I found a turtle on the way to school!" Tomo bragged.

"You did not, I was the one who found Yosuke!"

"His name is Tama!"

"Yosuke!"

"Tama!"

"Fluffy?" Osaka suggested.

"No!" Shouted Tomo and Kagura.

"I like 'Fluffy'." Sakaki said softly, though she couldn't be heard over the bickering of her classmates.

"Well, we could take a vote." Chiyo suggested.

"No way! I found him, so I'm gonna call him Tama."

"No, _I_ found him! And his name is Yosuke!"

"How do you know he doesn't belong to someone? You should find his owner." Yomi advised.

"He could be one of those breeds that got smuggled in from another country." Chiyo added.

"Ahh." Tomo and Kagura nodded. There was a pause, and then...

"Well, I'm still gonna name him Tama."

"Oh, that's it!" Kagura shouted as she rolled up the workbook she had in her hand. Tomo ducked as Kagura flung it in her direction; it missed, and Tomo gave a triumphant laugh. Unfortunately for her, the luck didn't last.

"Sit down already!" Yukari shouted, and a piece of chalk went spinning through the air. Tomo squawked and fell, lying dazed on the floor as a small bump formed on her forehead.

"Ha-ha, Yukari-sensei got you g- ack!" Kagura was immediately cut off as the second piece flew her way.

"Now, then, class..." Yukari sat at her desk as Kagura went back to her seat, rubbing the red mark on her forehead.

"Yukari-chan, you meanie..." Tomo whined as she pulled herself up off the floor.

"Oh, hush. You brought it on yourself." Yomi muttered.

"Quiet! Time to take attendance." She chimed, wearing her usual fake smile. "Let's see..." She scanned up and down the rows, checking off names on the list in front of her. "Hrm... Aida-san isn't here."

"Kaorin said she was having trouble with her alarm clock, sensei." Chihiro said, raising her hand.

"Ah. Well, let's see... " Yukari stared up at the ceiling, visibly thinking hard. "Well, considering the distance, she should get here about... ten minutes and twenty-nine seconds from now."

"So I bet you were late a lot when you were a student, Yukari-chan!"

"Yep! Hahahaha!" Yukari laughed. "But," She added, her tone icy, "I actually did homework when I was a student, Tomo-chan."

"Hey, I do work, Yukari-chan." Tomo protested. "I do, really- aack!" Another piece of chalk hit her.

"Attention, class. Lying and slacking off are now chalk-toss offenses! Got it?"

"Y-yes, sensei!" The class responded obediently. No one wanted to be the victim of one of Yukari's projectile attacks.

"But, Yukari-chan, you're a slacker, too, aren't you?" Tomo pointed out.

The entire class winced as a plastic ruler smacked Tomo in the face. Yomi sighed.

"You just don't learn, do you?" She muttered.

"Waugh." Tomo slumped down in her chair, covering her head. "Yukari-chan's a meanie."

-------------------------Eight minutes later----------------------

"Oooh, I'm so late!" Kaorin dashed up the stairs, nearly losing one of her school shoes in the process. "Why isn't my alarm clock working lately?" She rounded the corner and-

"Aah!" A voice yelped, and Kaorin and another girl tumbled to the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kaorin apologized, and helped the girl gather her things.

She was average height, with short black hair and bright brown eyes. Her uniform was a bit big for her, and Kaorin wondered for a moment if it was a hand-me-down.

"It's no problem. Don't worry about it." She said with a smile as she picked up the last of her spilled supplies. "Umm, I'm looking for Room 3... do you know where it is?"

"Oh, yeah- that's my class. Just watch out for the teacher." Kaorin advised as she helped the girl to her feet. "Yukari-sensei is a little... out there."

"Really? Oh, boy..." The girl laughed, a little nervous.

"Don't worry too much, though. We've got a couple of emptyheaded kids in our class, and they usually keep her attention off the rest of us."

"That's good." The girl nodded. "Oh, here it is. Room 3."

"Here." Kaorin reached out and opened the door, peeking through to be safe. "Yukari-sensei- eek!" She shut it quickly as an eraser hit the other side so hard, she was sure there must be a dent in the door. "All clear. She only has one eraser." Kaorin turned to the girl, who was frozen in terror. "Ah, don't worry." Kaorin took her gently by the wrist and pulled her into the classroom after her. "Yukari-sensei, gomen! I was-"

"She was helping me find the classroom, Sensei." The girl interrupted, having miraculously recovered from her initial shock. "I was lost on the first floor and we ah, bumped into each other on the way here."

"Oh, so you're the new kid. Well, okay, then." Yukari nodded, entirely convinced. "Good job, Aida-san."

"Hey, a new girl."

"I don't think I recognize her dialect..."

"She's pretty cute."

"Welcome to Room 3, leave your sanity at the door."

"Class, this is Kimiko Abe. She transfered here from Utatsu, and she'll be in our class for a while. So, Abe-san, your seat is right over there next to Aida-san."

"Okay." Kimiko flashed the class a bright smile and walked to her seat.

"Thanks for the save." Kaorin whispered.

"No problem." Kimiko said with a smile.

Class went by quickly, and the group gathered at their usual table in the lunchroom.

"Oi, come sit with us, Abe-san." Yomi gestured at an empty desk, and Kimiko agreed.

"So, are you gonna join any clubs?" Kagura asked, grinning.

"Probably not. I'm not very good at sports or anything like that." Kimiko said sheepishly. "I'm a klutz, really."

"Good! You can join the going-home club with us, then!" Tomo gave her a thumbs-up, and Kimiko awkwardly returned the gesture.

"So, do you have any pets, Abe-san?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes, I... have..." Her voice trailed off slightly. "W-wow." She stammered "You're so cute!" She squealed, and turned in her seat to face Chiyo.

"Abe-san, this is Chiyo Mihama." Yomi said, smiling proudly at Chiyo. "She's our adorable little child prodigy."

"Adorable is right! So, Mihama-san, how old are you?" Kimiko asked

"I'm eleven this year!" Chiyo announced proudly.

"Wow. You're pretty tall, for eleven." Kimiko said, ruffling Chiyo's hair a bit. "You'll be as tall as the rest of us pretty soon, at the rate you're going."

"D-do you really think so?" Chiyo asked.

"Yeah! When I was your age, I was really, really short. You're way tall!" Kimiko grinned. Beaming, Chiyo cheerily sat down to eat her lunch. "Oh! We were talking about pets, right?" Kimiko asked.

"Mm-hmm." Chiyo nodded. "Do you have any pets, Abe-san?"

"Uh-huh. I have two cats." She reached into her schoolbag. "I've got a picture in here, somewhere... ah!" She pulled out a photo and handed it to Chiyo.

"Is this you in the middle, Abe-san?"

"Yup. The photo is from two years ago, but the cats haven't changed a bit. This one," she began, pointing to a white cat on the left, "is Yuki. And this one here is Chie." She pointed to the black-and-white kitten on the right.

"Sakaki-san, do you want to see the picture?" Chiyo asked. "Ah, Sakaki-san?"

"Hmm?" Sakaki had been staring out the window for most of the lunch thus far. "Oh. Sure." Sakaki reached out and took the picture. "Ah..." She gasped. _"They're so cute..."_

"Do you like cats, Sakaki-san?"

"Mm...Mm-hmm..." Sakaki nodded slowly.

"Do you have any?"

"No..." Sakaki handed the photograph back to Kimiko. "My mother is terribly allergic to them."

"Ohh. That's too bad." Kimiko frowned. "Well, if you like, you could come play with mine sometimes."

"Really?"

"Oh, sure... ah!" Kimiko looked over at the lunchroom door and waved. "There's Aida-san. Over here!" She called. Kaorin walked slowly, almost cautiously to the table. "I was just showing Sakaki-san that picture of Yuki and Chie and I."

"Oh, r-really? Y-yeah, that picture's really cute..." Kaorin mumbled.

"Hmm?" Kimiko gave her a curious stare.

Kaorin's face was bright red, and it looked as though the handle of her lunchbox would snap if she clutched it any tighter. At the moment, her eyes were boring a hole in the floor.

"Well, I uh... Chihiro-chan is saving me a seat, so I'llbeoverthereifyouneedanythingbye!" Kaorin ended her jumble of words with a bow, and then she was gone.

"O...kay?" Kimiko stared at the empty space next to the table, then looked up at Sakaki, who was equally puzzled.

"Don't worry." Yomi said. "She gets like that sometimes. Shy."

"But, wait, she was the first person I met at this school. Why would she be shy?" Kimiko asked, confused. Yomi shook her head.

"That's not quite it... just wait. You'll see." Yomi said, and looked to the others at the table. Osaka, Tomo, and Kagura nodded. Kimiko looked over at the table where Kaorin had gone.

"_I wonder what's up with her?" _She thought to herself.

--

The rest of the day went by quickly, and the Going-Home Club was packing up.

"So, Abe-san, you moved here from Utatsu?" Chiyo asked.

"Yeah. I've got a picture of my old high school in here, somewhere." Kimiko went digging in her bag once again, and eventually produced another photo. "Here we go. Motoyoshi-hibiki. The girl on the left is my friend Wassa, and the ones on the right are Chiemi and Kuri-chan."

"Hey, an American!"

"Yeah, Kuri-chan was a transfer student. The guys at our school practically melted into the floor when she walked down the hall... they were all too shy to say anything. Well, except the one that ran into our homeroom, pointed to his chest, and shouted, 'AMERICAN BODY!', then ran away."

"But judging from this picture, she's uh... more 'japanese' than 'american'." Yomi said, and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... but it added to her appeal, in a way. We even had a girl on our Track team that had a crush on her. Haru-chan would get so flustered around her, always red-faced and stumbling over her words, things... like..." Her voice trailed off for the second time that day.

"Bingo." Yomi said with a nod.

"Aida-san..." Kimiko spoke quieter now. "She likes Sakaki-san?"

"Yeah... and everyone knows it except for Sakaki-san." Tomoadded.

"So, she hasn't told her yet?"

"Nope. She's jes' too dern shy." Osaka said, shaking her head.

"Huh." Kimiko watched as Kaorin dashed into the room, grabbed her schoolbag, and raced back out with one last quick, wistful glance at Sakaki.

"Poor girl should just speak up." Kagura sighed as she watched Kaorin go. "That, or we get her to join the track team and put Sakaki at the starting line." She joked, grinning. Osaka and Tomo joined her, and they began discussing ways to put Kaorin's tendency to run from Sakaki to use. They kept their voices low, but it didn't matter much; Sakaki had spotted a cat-shaped cloud, and it would take a lot more than their banter to pull her out of her reverie... or, a lot less, as Chiyo often showed.

"Are you ready to go, Sakaki-san?"The pigtailed prodigyasked, gently tugging on Sakaki's sleeve.

"Mm-hmm." Sakaki nodded and stood, and the two of them left discussing a new picture book they'd seen at the store.

"Oi, Abe-san, are you coming?" Yomi called from the doorway. She and the others were on their way out, but Kimiko was still standing at the window."Abe-san?"

"_I wonder..."_ Kimiko mused, "_if there's something I can do?"_

_----------------------_

And there you have it. Chapter 1 is finished. I'll write more soon, don't worry. So, I accomplished one goal thus far- OC used in a nonromantic way, and not a projection of myself. Hope you enjoyed reading this so far.


	2. Unseen Feelings And

Wow... as I write, the story's only been posted for about two days and already I have lots of hits and even a few reviews! Thanks to all of you readers making this a success!

As a thank-you gift, I'm going to get this done even sooner than I planned! Here's the second chapter for all of you readers who've visited, and especially for the ones who've reviewed. Enjoy!

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The following morning went by without much excitement, save a few chalk-tosses from Yukari. So far, the girls had done a pretty good job of helping Kimiko adjust to the new school; they'd given her tips about what school food was edible, which girls were bad news, what not to do in Yukari's class (Tomo provided her with a few firsthand lessons on that subject), and what guys to avoid.

Thus far, there hadn't been any problems. But when time came for the girls to go to their Contemporary Literature class, Kaorin grew uneasy. Sensing her distress, Kimiko asked her what was wrong.

"Oh... it's just the teacher of our next class."

"Is he worse than Yukari?" Kimiko asked, terrified.

"Yes, and no. He's bad... but not in the way Yukari is."

"Well, he can't be all _that_ bad, right? Right?" She looked around the circle, and every girl in the class averted their eyes. "He is? Ohh, no..."

"But, don't worry! It'll be fine. I mean, he wouldn't act the way he always does around a new student... would he?" She finished uncertainly, looking to the others for reassurance. They shrugged, and looked hopeful.

To Kaorin's relief, Kimura wasn't there when they reached the class.

"Maybe he's takin' anotha' day off?" Osaka suggested. Yomi shook her head.

"I don't think we'll be that lucky." She sighed. Sure enough, the classroom door slid open and Kimura walked in.

_"He doesn't look too bad..."_ Kimiko thought to herself. _"Glasses, short hair, shirt tucked in..." _

"So, class." Kimura began. "Today we'll be learning about-" He froze in mid-sentence. "You!" He shouted, pointing to Kimiko. His jaw had fixed in its open position, and the class knew what would come next. In a flash, he had moved down the aisle and was soon standing next to her. "You must be the new student." He then looked up and looked around the class, confused. "Why didn't any of you tell me we had a cute new student transferring in! I'm the teacher! I should know these things!"

Hearing a teacher call her cute wasn't something Kimiko was used to; she stared up at him in shock, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Well, then. You'll have to answer the New Student Survey I made, then." He pulled a paper seemingly out of nowhere and put it on her desk. "Let me know when you're finished with that, then." With that, he walked back to his desk and sat down, staring intently at her as she read the first question.

"Umm... what do tucked-in gym shirts have to do with anything?" She asked, bewildered.

"Kimura-sensei!" Kaorin called, putting her hand up. "I don't think I've taken that survey yet."

"Ohh? I was sure I've given it to you...well, then, I'll have to get you one!" He shouted, and dove into his desk for another. Tomo silently crept across the room and grabbed the paper off Kimiko's desk. She quietly tore it in half, tossing it into the trash can on her way back to her seat. "Found one!"

Kimura practically leapt to Kaorin's desk and handed her the paper, which she took with the cutest smile she could muster. Kimura floated back to his desk and watched her bubble in the answers, then took the paper when she finished. "So... what were we doing?" He asked.

"We were going to start class, sensei." Yomi called.

"Yes, right. Well. Today's story..." he droned, and a collective sigh of relief escaped the class. Kaorin turned to Kimiko and smiled, raising a weary thumbs-up. Kimiko laughed nervously, hoping that she wouldn't have to go through this experience again anytime in the future.

-

Lunch soon arrived, and the group headed to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Kaorin, way to go. That was cool of you to take the bullet for Abe-san." Kagura grinned.

"Wha? Ohh... well, I'm used to Kimura. It's no big deal, really."

"I thought it was very kind of you." Sakaki said quietly. Kaorin nearly jumped out of her skin- she hadn't noticed Sakaki standing behind her at all.

"Ah! S-Sakaki-san..." Kaorin gasped. "Th-thank you..." She said softly, boring a hole through the lunchroom tile with her eyes. Sakaki nodded a "you're welcome" and walked past her, leaving Kaorin standing frozen in the middle of the group. Once she could feel her legs again, she started toward Chihiro's table.

"Oh, wait, Aida-san. Come sit with us." Kimiko said, smiling brightly at her. Kaorin gave her an urgent, pleading look, but Kimiko just smiled and coaxed her over to the table.

Kaorin hesitantly took the only open seat, directly across from Sakaki. As expected, she instantly took an immense interest in her food. Kimiko fought the smile creeping across her face, and cleared her throat.

"So, Aida-san, I showed you that picture of my cats yesterday, right?"

"Mm-hmm. It was cute." Kaorin mumbled.

"Didn't you say once that you had a cat?" Kimiko asked.

"Oh, yeah. She's going to have another litter soon, from the looks of it." Kaorin nodded. She was still poking her food with her chopsticks. Kimiko looked across the table, and noticed that Sakaki wasn't staring out into space; instead, she was watching Kaorin.

But her face wasn't showing the interest that Yomi had told Kimiko to watch for. She wore a sad, dejected look, and fidgeted a little in her seat.

"I'm... going to go get some fresh air." Sakaki said softly, adding her usual nod of acknowledgement onto the end. Then she stood and walked out of the lunchroom, off toward the little grove of trees outside. Kaorin slumped down in her seat and repeatedly thumped her head against the table.

Kimiko frowned as she watched Sakaki leave.

"_What was that about?"_ She wondered. As usual, she looked for an explanation in the faces of her classmates; this time, though, they were every bit as baffled as she. "_And what was with that look she was giving Aida-san? Is there something bothering her?" _Kimiko sighed. "_It's probably none of my business, but..." _She picked up her lunchbox and bowed apologetically to the group. "I'll be right back." She assured them, and headed out the door Sakaki had taken.

"_...but, this is a good chance for me to find out what Sakaki-san thinks of Aida-san."_

She walked into the small grove of trees.

"Sakaki-san?" She began.

"Hmm?" Sakaki snapped out of her reverie and looked away from the cloud she'd been watching. "Yes?" She asked. Her eyes still held the same wistful sadness, and they were a little red.

Had she been... crying?

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Ah, poor Sakaki-san. What could be wrong?

Expect chapter 3 to come pretty soon, though probably not as fast as this (written in one night, over the course of four hours during IM conversations and web browsing as well).

A big thanks to all my reviewers once again, and an even bigger thanks to my fellow Wonderlanders, who gave me the inspiration to write a relatively cliche'-free OC fanfiction.


	3. All They Need Is

Hahaha. More fanfic for youuu. It's soooo nice to be writing again after all this time with writer's block. But still, I'm a little dissapointed concerning the number of reviews... 300+ hits and only 7 reviews for the story. I know I have readers who are writers themselves, and have been kind enough to review because they know that more reviews make a writer want to continue a story. Don't worry, I'm not going to give you an ultimatum like, "If I don't get x number of reviews in y number of days, I'll take the fic off the site!111one11!"

I'm just asking those of you who don't review to consider doing so. And to all those who have reviewed, thank you sooo much. It really makes the fanfic business worthwhile.

Disclaimer: I don't own Azumanga Daioh.

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"Sakaki-san? Are you okay?"

"Yes... I'm all right." Sakaki nodded. Kimiko walked over and leaned against the tree as well. She stared curiously up at Sakaki, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at the taller girl. Sure enough, her eyes were red and a little puffy.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sakaki replied softly. "I'm fine. It's nothing, really," she insisted. Kimiko wasn't convinced.

"Is it something to do with Aida-san?" She asked. After a moment, Sakaki nodded.

"Mm-hm," Sakaki mumbled. "I... I don't think she likes me very much," she said quietly. This was definitely not the answer Kimiko had expected.

"What makes you think that?" Kimiko asked incredulously.

"She acts very strange around me... and she runs away whenever we start talking." Sakaki sighed, frowning. "I think she dislikes me, but I don't know why..."

"Do you have any idea why that could be?" Kimiko inquired, trying to draw something concrete out of the other girl.

"I think I scared her from the start... but more recently she's been acting very odd. I think that just maybe... she may have overheard something I said to a... a friend," Sakaki glanced across the schoolyard at a cat sleeping on the grass. "I said that I thought that Aida-san was very cute at the cultural festival when she had the little clip-on ears," Sakaki explained, and put her hands on her head, fingertips pointed up and wiggling. She smiled. "The ears made her look very cute... but I think she heard me say it and she... maybe thinks I'm strange."

"Really." Kimiko crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "So, Sakaki-san, you think Aida-san is cute?

"Mm-hmm." Sakaki nodded, and a slight blush spread across her face.

"Tell you what... wait right here, Sakaki-san!" Kimiko grinned and dashed back towards the building. "I've got an idea on how to solve your problem!" She called back.

"Eh? Abe-san, wait..." Sakaki watched her dash back inside, then leaned back against the tree and sighed.

---

"What's up, Abe-san?" Kaorin asked as Kimiko approached the table. "We were just talking about-" she was cut off in midsentence as Kimiko grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet, grinning.

"Come with me, Aida-san," Kimiko said with a smile. "I've got a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" Kaorin asked. "Uh... okay," she replied.

She let Kimiko drag her as far as the door, then stopped. "W-wait, Abe-san... can you show me later?"

"What's up?"

"I uh, I l-left something in the classroom, that's all I'mgonnagogetitokaybye!" The second half of Kaorin's sentence was a jumble of somthing that could have been words.

"Not so fast!" Kimiko grabbed Kaorin's wrist again and pulled her out the door. "This is urgent! It's an emergency!" She was putting every shred of acting talent she could muster into this performance.

"An emergency?" Kaorin sounded nervous and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Yes, Sakaki-san is having a major emergency!" Kimiko was lying, of course, but she wanted to see what this would do for the situation.

"Sa-Sakaki-san is in trouble? Why didn't you say that sooner!" With that, she took off out the door, leaving Kimiko behind. Satisfied, Kimiko strolled back to the table and sat down.

"What just happened?" Yomi was staring out at the courtyard, watching Kaorin.

"I think I just solved a few problems," Kimiko said incredulously. Everyone stared at her, out into the courtyard, and then back at Kimiko.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens, then," Kagura said with a shrug.

"Come on, Kaorin..." Chihiro squeezed her folded hands together.

"Come on, Sakaki," Kimiko said as she watched Kaorin approach the tree...

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I know, I know, you all want to tear me limb from limb for this short, short, HORRIBLY short chapter. I know. ;; And I deserve it if you all hate me.

But I wanted you all to know that I am still working on all of these stories! I might even do a "For You 2.0" with better grammar and such. Don't worry, everybody, I WILL have this story finished by September! I promise!


	4. A Helping Hand

Ah, I've already gotten some reviews for the third chapter! Thank you SO much! 3

All right, on to the last chapter! Enjoy!

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Everyone at the table was watching the courtyard through the windows. Chihiro and Kimiko had joined hands and were hoping, hard, for everything to go well. Chiyo wasn't positive as to exactly what was going on, and asked Osaka; however, the Kansai girl was focused on the goings-on outside, and didn't respond. Yomi would have been watching just as intently, but Tomo was leaning over her (_on_ her, rather), and poor Yomi was fighting the urge to shake Tomo off. Kagura was grinning, having decided that if this plan worked, she would run an extra lap that afternoon. Maybe two.

As they watched their smitten classmate getting closer to Sakaki, they all went silent. This was it...

---

Kaorin came to a dead stop barely five feet from the tree. There was Sakaki- still, stoic, and stunning as always. She was leaning against the rough bark, hair drifting in the wind and gaze fixed on the clouds above them. This seemed quite contrary to the information Kimiko had supplied.

"S-Sa-Sakaki-san, wh-where's the danger!" Kaorin looked frantically around the small patch of trees in search of the unknown threat. Surprised, Sakaki turned around to see what the commotion was about.

"Danger?" She looked at Kaorin curiously, taking a moment to brush a few strands of long black hair behind her shoulder.

"Abe-san... she said," Kaorin wheezed, "there was an emergency." She stumbled forward and leaned against the tree, entirely out of breath. "I was... worried."

"Oh..." Sakaki nodded slowly, wondering what sort of plan Abe Kimiko had devised. "I... think Abe-san may have been mistaken. There isn't any emergency, really."

"R-really?" Kaorin looked up at her, still trying to catch her breath.

"Yes. I'm all right." Sakaki smiled. But when she did so, Kaorin noticed the slight redness in Sakaki's eyes.

"Are you... sure?" Kaorin frowned, looking around again. "Has anyone been giving you a hard time, or anything like that? Because if they have, I'll make sure they don't harm you in any way, Sakaki-san!" Kaorin looked entirely serious, to Sakaki's surprise. The taller girl giggled.

"That's very kind of you, Aida-san... but, no, there's nothing like that going on." Sakaki crouched low and held out her hand to a grey cat that had poked its head out from behind another tree. "I've just had something on my mind, is all." The cat slowly approached as she spoke.

"Is it something you want to talk about?" Kaorin couldn't believe that she and Sakaki-san were really talking like this. Simple questions about homework or exchanged "hello"s on the street had always been a big deal to her; to have a conversation was an incredible experience.

"Actually... I wanted to ask you a question, Aida-san." Sakaki said after a moment. She curled back the fingers of her outstreched hand and retracted it, placing both hands on her lap. Kaorin sat next to her, listening intently. "I've been wondering... well, worrying, a little... that maybe..." Her voice trailed off, and she sat there in silence, twisting the fabric of her skirt in her hands. She glanced over at Kaorin, looking unsure.

"You can tell me, Sakaki-san. I won't make fun of you or anything, no matter what it is..."

"That's nice to know." Sakaki felt a little more relaxed speaking with Kaorin. The smaller girl seemed to be a very good listener. "You see... well, up until a minute ago," she began with a quiet laugh, "I was afraid that you didn't like me."

"Wh-wha?" Kaorin stared at Sakaki in utter disbelief. "I... you... huh?" Her head hurt. "Sa-Sakaki-san, it's entirely the opposite! I like you a lot!" As soon as she uttered this, Kaorin clapped a hand over her mouth and stared hard at the grass to her left.

"Aida-san... you... you _do_ like me?" Sakaki's voice was soft, and coaxed a nod out of Kaorin. After a moment, she put her hands down on the ground at her sides, and began tying knots in a blade of grass.

"Sakaki-san, I really... really... really like you." Kaorin's voice became quieter with each word, and by the time she reached "you", she was barely audible.

"I'm happy to hear that." Sakaki sighed. "Although, I've heard that a lot of girls that seem to like me, only like me because they think I'm... cool. Something like that. But I'd rather be cute, than cool."

"I think you're very cute, Sakaki-san." Kaorin felt her heart skip a beat when Sakaki blushed.

"Do you?"

"Yes! I-I really do..." Kaorin felt like her cheeks were on fire when she noticed Sakaki shuffling a little closer to her. "I... I don't care if you're not really the 'cool' type... I like you anyway."

"And you don't think I'm scary at all?"

"No way!" Kaorin quickly shook her head back and forth. Smiling, Sakaki reached out towards the cat again. It walked towards her cautiously, paused for a moment, then continued.

"Come on..." Sakaki waved her fingers a little, and the cat came closer, closer... and clamped its teeth down on her hand. "Ah!"

"Here..." Kaorin reached over and very gently tapped the cat on the head. Surprised, it loosened its grip, allowing Sakaki to withdraw her hand. Kaorin then pushed her hand between the cat's jaws, which quickly closed on her. "Sakaki-san, I think... it'll let you pet it now." Sakaki nodded her thanks, and nervously reached out to give the cat a tentative pat on the head. It did not resist, and immediately, a smile spread across her face.

She sat there for almost a minute, stroking the cat's soft steel-gray fur. Finally, she pulled back her hand, and Kaorin followed suit. The cat stood there for a few seconds, then suddenly darted back towards the school fence.

"I got... to pet him," Sakaki said, watching the cat as it fled. She looked content... almost like a cat herself. "Oh!" She turned to Kaorin. "Is your hand all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Kaorin nodded. "Is yours?"

"I'm used to it... cats bite me all the time." Sakaki reached over and gently took Kaorin's hand in her own. "Here, let me see," she said with a smile. Kaorin nearly died. "Ah. It's nothing serious... you'll be fine." Kaorin nodded quickly as Sakaki's hand returned to the grass. And it took Kaorin a moment to realize that her hand was there right along with it. Sakaki, her idol Sakaki, was holding _her_ hand.

Kaorin leaned back against the tree, then gulped and moved a little closer. Sakaki didn't seem to mind. Summoning all the courage she had, Kaorin picked her hand up off the grass- pulling Sakaki's with it- and scooted closer so that they were directly side-by-side. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she felt the slightest squeeze from Sakaki's hand. Before she could think of something to say, the unthinkable happened.

Sakaki's hand slipped out of hers, and suddenly Sakaki's arm was around her shoulder, gently pulling her closer, and her head was resting on Sakaki's shoulder... but she didn't feel nervous or flustered. Instead, she felt... she felt... at home. There at the base of that tree, with the soft grass beneath them and a bird chirping nearby. Shyly, she lay her hand on Sakaki's leg, and Sakaki leaned her head to the side so that it was resting on Kaorin's.

"Aida-san?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be all right if I called you Kaori?" Sakaki's voice was quiet; she was just as shy as Kaorin was, the short-haired girl realized.

"Y-yes, I'd... I'd like that." Kaorin gave the slightest nod.

"And... well, my last name, it's written with the kanji for a camellia tree... right?"

"Mm-hmm." Kaorin nodded.

"Well... I don't think it'd be right to use my last name in such a situation. My last name also... isn't very cute. Though, I do like camellia..." Sakaki didn't say anything more than that. Kaorin sat in thought for a moment, and finally it struck her.

"I see... so, then. Would you like me to call you... Tsubaki-chan?" Kaorin smiled up at Sakaki, who smiled back. "Or maybe... Tsu-chan?"

"Tsu... Tsu-chan." Sakaki nodded. "I like that. It's very cute."

"I think it suits you, S- ah, Tsu-chan." Sakaki nodded again before tilting her head to the right, off of Kaorin's. Then she slowly got to her feet. Her arm was still hooked around Kaorin's shoulder, and the shorter girl stood with her, not really wanting that arm to go anywhere. By the time it had unraveled from around her, that arm was next to hers, and Sakaki was holding her hand. "I want to thank you," Sakaki said honestly.

"Hm? For what?"

"For liking Sakaki-san... and for liking Tsu-chan, too."

They walked back across the courtyard together, through the door, and a few steps across the cafeteria floor. Then, they noticed that the entire table was watching them, grins on the face of every girl save a slightly confused Chiyo.

"All right, Kaorin!" Tomo cheered, accidentally striking Yomi in the head with her thumbs-up. Aggravated but not deterred, Yomi gave Kaorin a proud smile and a nod of congratulations. Osaka was explaining the situation to Chiyo, who was slowly starting to grasp the situation. Kimiko and Chihiro were clapping quietly in their seats. And Kagura, shaking her head, laughed and rested her cheek on her hand as she looked at the pair.

"Looks like I'm running a few extra laps today," she mused.

"What's all this?" Sakaki looked around, not quite sure what to make of the situation. "Is this for you? For me?"

"I think," Kaorin began as she squeezed Sakaki's hand, "it's for _us_... Tsu-chan." Their eyes met, and Sakaki squeezed back as they smiled at one another.

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Squee! x3 Another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed it! This is the final chapter, though I might do an epilogue (no promises! xD) if I can think of some ideas. Then, maybe a sequel, if my reviewers would like one. I had lots of fun writing this. And hey, now that it's finished, I think I'll spend a good bit of my summer working on For You. I think it could use some revision.

A little note: "Tsubaki" means "camellia", and "Sakaki" means "camellia tree". Hope that clears the little thing at the end, for those who didn't know. 3 See you all later! Thanks for taking the time to read this fanfic!


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